Fleetwood Denies McIlroy in Dubai Invitational

Tommy Fleetwood - File Photo by Reuters
Tommy Fleetwood - File Photo by Reuters
TT

Fleetwood Denies McIlroy in Dubai Invitational

Tommy Fleetwood - File Photo by Reuters
Tommy Fleetwood - File Photo by Reuters

Tommy Fleetwood conjured up a birdie-birdie finish to deny Rory McIlroy and win the Dubai Invitational on Sunday.

"It was amazing winning," Englishman Fleetwood said. "Like almost everybody else in the world of golf, I don't win anywhere near as much as I would like to but just that winning feeling great."

Fleetwood enjoyed a one-shot lead over McIlroy going into the fourth round.

And he was a model of consistency until ceding the lead after a bogey at the 16th.

He was still one shot back on the 18th tee after he and McIlroy both birdied the penultimate hole, according to AFP.

But as the Northern Irishman found the water and made a bogey, Fleetwood holed from 16 feet for a 67, a 19 under total and a seventh DP World Tour title.

South African Thriston Lawrence finished alongside McIlroy at 18 under, two clear of England's Jordan Smith and three ahead of 2018 British Open champion Francesco Molinari.

Fleetwood is based in Dubai.

"This is obviously where I live and have a lot of support," he said. "It's great to kick off the year with a great result and push on from here.

"I was very happy with the way I played today for the large majority of the round, felt like I didn't hole some of the putts that I wanted to.

"I just stayed patient and kept playing. I knew I was playing very, very well, and even the last two holes, played 17 and 18 great."

McIlroy said he was rusty.

"I think first week back out, I think you're going to expect some of those sloppy mistakes and unfortunately for me those mistakes came at the wrong time today," he said.

"Just need to tidy up some of the edges and if I do that, I feel good going into next week."



Hamilton: Driving a Ferrari F1 Car for 1st Time Was 'Exciting and Special'

Formula One F1 - Lewis Hamilton drives a Ferrari F1 car around the Fiorano circuit as part of the TPC tests - Fiorano Circuit, Fiorano Modenese near Maranello, Italy - January 22, 2025 Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton during testing REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
Formula One F1 - Lewis Hamilton drives a Ferrari F1 car around the Fiorano circuit as part of the TPC tests - Fiorano Circuit, Fiorano Modenese near Maranello, Italy - January 22, 2025 Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton during testing REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
TT

Hamilton: Driving a Ferrari F1 Car for 1st Time Was 'Exciting and Special'

Formula One F1 - Lewis Hamilton drives a Ferrari F1 car around the Fiorano circuit as part of the TPC tests - Fiorano Circuit, Fiorano Modenese near Maranello, Italy - January 22, 2025 Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton during testing REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
Formula One F1 - Lewis Hamilton drives a Ferrari F1 car around the Fiorano circuit as part of the TPC tests - Fiorano Circuit, Fiorano Modenese near Maranello, Italy - January 22, 2025 Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton during testing REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini

Lewis Hamilton drove a Ferrari Formula 1 car for the first time Wednesday and described it as "one of the best feelings of my life.”
Hamilton was behind the wheel of a 2023-specification Ferrari SF-23 bearing his racing number, 44, at the team’s Fiorano test track and wore a new helmet design in yellow with a prominent Prancing Horse logo.
The 40-year-old British driver set out for his first lap at 9:16 a.m. local time in light fog and twice waved to a crowd of around 1,000 spectators, who had gathered on a nearby bridge despite the cold and wet weather, The Associated Press reported.
“When I started the car up and drove through that garage door, I had the biggest smile on my face,” Hamilton said of his first drive in a Ferrari since joining the Italian team for the 2025 season. “It reminded me of the very first time I tested a Formula 1 car, it was such an exciting and special moment, and here I am, almost 20 years later, feeling those emotions all over again.”
Part-way through the day, Hamilton headed over to fans who had waited for hours in the wet conditions since early morning for a glimpse of him behind the wheel. Wearing a jacket in Ferrari red, he waved, gave a thumbs-up gesture and put a hand to his heart. Hamilton's mother was among his family members on hand for the occasion.
“I've been lucky enough to have many firsts in my career, from the first test to the first race, podium, win and championship, so I wasn’t sure how many more firsts I had but driving a Scuderia Ferrari HP car for the first time this morning, was one of the best feelings of my life,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton has shaken up F1 with his move to Ferrari after 12 years with Mercedes, where he won six of his seven world titles.
There was excitement Wednesday from one of Italy's biggest sports stars, too.
After reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner was asked by an Italian reporter if he had seen anything on social media about Hamilton’s Ferrari debut.
“It’s still pretty strange to see him in red,” Sinner said, “but it’ll be a great season.”
Hamilton, who arrived Monday at Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters for his first day at work with the new team, has said he's fulfilling a childhood dream.
“I already knew from the outside how passionate the Ferrari family is, from everyone in the team to the tifosi (fans),” he said. “But to now witness it firsthand as a Ferrari driver has been awe-inspiring. That passion runs through their veins and you can’t help but be energized by it.”
F1 tightly restricts teams from testing current-specification cars but the rules are more loose for older cars like the SF-23 that Hamilton drove Wednesday. The F1 regulations for 2025 allow Hamilton to drive up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) over four days in older F1 cars under the “testing of previous cars” rule. The SF-23 is the most recent Ferrari that's eligible.
Pre-season testing for the new season's cars is from Feb. 26 through 28 in Bahrain.